Robotics Project: Swarm Intelligence, Technology and V-REP

This project offers a comprehensive overview of swarm robotics, a rapidly evolving technology inspired by biological systems. It explores the core concepts, including the use of multiple robots (S-bots) for environment exploration, mapping, and path planning. The project delves into the technology used in swarm robotics, with a focus on the V-REP simulation platform and its application in a living room environment, using Khepera robots. The project also reviews relevant literature, discussing the work of various authors on swarm intelligence, multi-robot systems, and related technologies like Blockchain. It covers applications of swarm robotics, methods, and environmental configurations. The project highlights the advantages of swarm robotics, such as flexibility, scalability, and robustness, while also acknowledging limitations like latency and bandwidth. The project concludes by emphasizing the potential of swarm robotics in various fields, including industrial applications and the integration of emerging technologies.

Robotics

Abstract
This project will gives you an overview of the swarm intelligence. The applications has also
discussed. Swarm robotics is a new technology. This Technology is going rapidly in all over the
world. The Swarm robotics is inspired from the biological system. The Technology used in the
swarm robotics has been clearly mentioned in this project. The applications of swarm robots has
also explained. The Technology used in this project is Vrep. The Environment used here is living
room. The different blocks which are used by the robots has mentioned clearly and it has been
executed by using the Vrep software.
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
2. Literature Review............................................................................................................................3
3. Swarm Robotics Technology.......................................................................................................7
3.1 Applications of Swarm Robotics.........................................................................................7
3.2 Methods.....................................................................................................................................8
4. Environmental configuration in V-REP.....................................................................................8
4.1 V-REP simulation platform...................................................................................................9
4.2 Construction............................................................................................................................9
5. Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
6. References.....................................................................................................................................10
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1. Introduction
The domain which involved the study of the robotic behavior is involved in an
Environment exploration. In real life, human beings are not allowed during the robot
explorations because it will be a very dangerous as per the environmental issue. It even causes a
lot of damages to the environment as well as human beings while doing the research. So we need
to be very careful while doing research on the robotics. Some researchers have been researched
on the robots and find out the mechanism, distribution, and monitoring of the system.
The exploration of the environment can be done by two essential elements. They are 1.
Mapping and 2. Path planning. These two elements cannot be done separately. They both are
related to each other. Mapping will help to provide the solution for which type of environment
we are going to use. Path planning will give solution for reaching the target. This means that path
planning has to collect the information from the Mapping and has to provide the solution. So
these both are interconnected with each other.
Swarm-bot is a robot which consists of a large number of smaller devices. It is called as S-
bots. These robots will work as self. They can do assembling and organizing by themselves. S-
bots will combine into several sets of elements to form a swarm-bot. These swarm-bots will split
into S-bots components. These swarm bot can even change their shape when it is online and even
they can match the environment variability by changing themselves. Swarm robots are
independent entities. They are self-assembling. This self-organized work was done by observing
the social insects, which they can work in different type of structures and can form in a single
system. The interesting thing about the swarm robots is we will develop single robots and they
will do self-assembling system.
In this project, the environment which we are going to use is Living room. It should be
represented in a Vrep software. We are going to use the robot named as Khepera to show the
simulation of the project.
2. Literature Review
Author (Navarro and Matía, 2012) explains about swarm robotics as so many numbers of
robots will coordinate to do the task. It is a multi-robotic task and it is arranged in a sequential
manner. These robots will be very simple in manner and they are having some rules to follow up.
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With the help of that rules, a large number of robots will combine to form an efficient task.
These Swarm robots are having very high efficiency and flexibility in the task comparing with
the single robot can be done. Swarm robots will change the methods of industries and its
applications. These robots will revolutionize the whole world in future.
According to the Author (Kornei, 2016), Swarm robotics is inspired by the studies of small
insects. It is related to the swarm intelligence. These robots are to be used in a controlled
environment. In the previous years, so many authors have developed robots which can able to
communicate indirectly. But nowadays, In SR studies robots are developed such that they can
able to communicate directly. So that they can understand and adjust to the environment. Here
the author has presented a taxonomy of the swarm robotics. The taxonomy helps to recognize the
areas present in the SR studies and whether the robots will work individually very effectively or
not.
According to the Author (Standish, n.d.), swarming robotics is an important and very
interesting research in the robotics. They got an inspiration from the biological systems and they
developed swarm robots. Now there are implementing in all over the world. Here the author had
observed the behavior individually. The process which he took while observing is an indirect
method. The behavior was also observed through the computer simulations. The robots really
helped to improve the efficiency as a group. While single robots cant able to get that much
efficiency and might be the little bit difficult to get the output. A collection of non-intelligent
robots will perform an intelligent behavior. These robots will not perform any effective work
alone. They combine in a group and perform the work very effectively and even they efficiency
also improved. The combination of robots is called as Swarm robots.
According to the author (Liu and Wu, 2017), the cooperative robotics field started in the
late year of 1980 while the researchers started analyzing the problems in multiple mobile robot
systems. To some extent, the researchers had targeted on either distributed problem-solving
included non-robotic components or single robotic system. The cooperative robotics field was
born while the two mentioned ideas were combined.
The author (Fukuda and Nakagawa, 2017) states that the DDRS idea was introduced. On
the basis of the particular task goals, DDRS permits the robot to autonomously reconfigure the
parts. The Dynamically Reconfigurable Robotic System consisting of robotic cells. It is termed
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as basic components of the single mechanical operation like arm joint, mobile base or gripper.
Depends on the task as well as permissible workspace, the robotic cells can interface with each
other. Also, it can combine, detach and approach themselves in various ways. The biological
cells have an easy single operation. When merged in groups, the biological cells exhibit difficult
as well as new action. The Dynamical Reconfigurable Robotic System is proposed for utilizing
in factory, hostile environment and space. The theoretical investigation advanced to the CEBOT
robotic system.
The author (Asama, Matsumoto, and Ishida, 2017) states that ACTRESS is the distributed
multi-robot system which is created for the maintenance task. It is used in the nuclear power
plants to maintain some tasks. The system's autonomous components are defined as robotors. It
can be a mobile robot has two fundamental operations such as the capability to interface to the
other robotors. It is for the purpose of interference avoidance and cooperation. Another function
is the capability to create decisions, proceed with this decision and sense the environment.
The author (Parker, 2017) says that the characteristics of the multi-robot systems are
explored. It explains the development of the multi-robot systems. The eight basic research papers
are identified within the multi-robot system. Biological inspirations, localization or exploration
or mapping, communication, object transport, motion coordination, architecture, manipulation,
learning and reconfigurable robots are the discussed in this paper. A few basic problems are
identified. The various extra open research problems are concluded in the distributed mobile
robotic systems.
According to the author (Bayindir and Sahin, 2017), swarm robotics is the new technique
for the coordination of the greater amount of comparatively simple robots. The 3 desired features
of the multi-robot systems are flexibility, scalability, and robustness. The system level operations
of social insects demonstrated these three features. For swarm robotics, the preliminary
taxonomy is presented. After analyzing the existing study, it is classified into the taxonomy. The
parent taxonomic units are behavior design, analytical studies & issues, communication, and
modeling. The three major axes are classified from existing analysis.
According to the author (Ferrer, 2017), the swarming robots are used in many industrial
fields. It provides the source for developing the industrial applications from the beginning to end.
The Blockchain technology also used for developing the applications. The Blockchain
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technology is one of the Emerging technology. It is developed from the Bitcoin field. By
connecting the peer to peer network with the Cryptographic algorithms, Blockchain is
demonstrated. The connections of Block Chain and Robotic Swarm Systems provides the needed
ability to make the Swarm robotic operations very autonomous, flexible, profitable and secure.
To solve the emergent problems in the swarm robotic fields, Block Chain technology provide the
developed solutions. The advantages of the swarm robotics in the emergent fields are scalability,
the robustness of failure and simple. The cost of a robotic base is low. The applications
development by swarm robots is increased. These two technologies could provide the idea for
solving the aforementioned problems. The limitations of these technologies are requirement
latency, bandwidth, and throughput. The latest advance of a blockchain technology provides the
more gain popularity to the Swarm Robotics. To provide the information confidentiality and an
entity validation for the Swarm robotics. The new Security methods and models could be
developed. This is suitable for the trust sensitive applications. This growth increases the
flexibility of robots and does not increase the complexity of the swarm design. The Blockchain
technology provides some structure to the Swarm Robotics. This structure is provided for
corresponding safety and legal regulations. The combination of these technologies improves the
new technologies and business models. The swarm Robotic is used in the innumerable market
applications.
The author (Pardeshi & Tikhe, 2017) states that sometimes a single person is impossible to
complete a task. That person feels quite difficult to complete the work in such cases, there is
need of a group of members or team that can work together and make the work easy or make the
person very much easy. Swarm intelligence is based on the technique of an artificial intelligence.
Grouping of multiple devices or robots and perform the desired task is the concept of SWARM
ROBOTICS. Mostly simple physical robots are used in this technique. Large numbers of robots
to the coordination of multi-robot system is the new approach of swarm robotics. This emerged
the field of swarming intelligence. Where swarm behaviors occur the biological studies of ants,
insects, and other fields in nature. In the approach of swarm robot, there are three major
advantages. 1. Scalable: the control of each robot is same, no need matter about the number of
robots. 2. Flexible: the bots may be deleted or inserted from/to the environment, no change in
task operation. 3. Robust: not only due to minimalist unit deign nut also through unit
redundancy. Swarming bots have application in all fields like military services, communication,
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building construction, civil engineering etc. moving blocks on the arena to form the pattern will
include in the construction.
The author (Dorigo, Tuci, Groß&Trianni, 2017) said that the future and emerging
technologies of the European Commission in a robotic project is to control a group of real or
simulated, distributed adaptive controllers are used in swarm robotics. The task which requires
coordination and cooperation, swarm boats perform well.
The author (Mikkelsen& Jespersen, 2017) states that the swarm robotic field is inspired by
biologies such as a flock of birds, a swarm of insects, or a school of fish. The complex task can
be achieved by a swarm of simple robots. By using the combination of obstacle avoidance,
potential field, speed matching, and directional alignment swarming has been achieved. Real
robots have had reliable intercommunication and reliable 360 degrees. However, all animals
have communication capabilities somewhat unreliable and sensing capability. Reliable
communication and sensing are expensive on a robot.
3. Swarm Robotics Technology
Swarm Robotics research the design of robots. It researches the Physical body and
controlling ability of the robots (Pardeshi and Tikhe, 2017). The Swarm Robotics is the
combination of several robot systems. The several robots are to be physical robots. The Swarm
term is referred as the Large Group of locally interacting individuals with common goals. The
Swarm Robotic systems are described with the ease of entities, local detecting and
communication abilities, parallelism at assignment implementation, scalability, robustness,
Decentralized Control, flexibility, and heterogeneousness. The potential ability of the Swarm
Robotic system is analyzed by studying the context. This context produces the variety of
collective behaviors that are used to solve the assignments like Pattern formation, Self-
Deployment, self-assembly, Object Clustering, Aggregation, Morphogenesis, Object Clustering,
foraging and Coordination Motion etc. Swarm Robotics has the ability to solve the real-life
problems, but there is no evidence. Now itself the Swarm Robotic is not acceptable to solve the
real time problems (Dorigo et al., 2017).
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3.1 Applications of Swarm Robotics
The applications of swarm robotics has applied all over the world. Here are some
application given below.
Foraging
The swarm robots has used in foraging scenario. It used in a lot of fundamental skills. It is
used to find the shortest path. It is used to find the efficient task allocation. It is plays a main role
in collective transport. The foraging scenario is used for cleaning the toxic waste. It is used to
search and rescue. It is used to collect the terrain samples.
Dangerous tasks
The dangerous task can be completed by using Swarm robots. The swarm robots will work
effectively compare with the individual robots. These robots will be cheap other than individual
robots.
Exploration and mapping
The advancements in the design that leads to a lot of development regarding so many
innovations. Now a days almost all the engineering projects are done by using swarm robots. The
individual robots arte little bit costly and time consuming. To overcome this drawback we can
use swarm robots. These will collectively do the work effectively. The collective robots will
change the whole global knowledge.
Agricultural Area
It this field the Swarm robotics is used for sowing the seed, harvesting and storing the
grains in the corresponding field. It reduces the working time of farmers and also it increase the
profit of the harvesting.
Military
In this field, it is used for detecting the bomb. It provides the necessary of security in self-
evident. It is most commonly used in this field for researching new technology. It is one of the
important thing which have been used by the swarm robots.
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Transportation system
In the Transportation system, Swarm robots have been used for detecting the traffic pattern.
It will use very effectively in this system.
Medical Fields
In Medical fields, Swarm robots known as Nano robots are used for moving into the arteries
and veins of the human. In the post disaster relief process the humans can’t reach that places. So
in that time we can use swarm robots and it can go easily and will reach the target.
3.2 Issues of Swarm Robotics
1. It has ability to promote the robustness, flexibility and scalability.
2. It is redundant one, so it is a non-optimal type.
3. Due to the lack of central control, the swarm robotics is an inefficient.
4. If the swarm robots has will behave dynamically then the whole system will be collapsed and
the recovery will take a lot of time.
5. Swarm robots is a collection of small robots. These all robots will behave in similar manner.
If we want to use in the heterogeneity system, we cannot use swarm robots.
6. If there is any change in the environment the robots won’t work properly.
7. The swarm robots has also having the security issues.
8. If few robots won’t work, then the whole system will get slow and efficiency can be reduced.
9. The space between the robots should be correctly separated.
3.3 Methods
The methods comprise an internal intelligence of the swarm robotics. The methods are
classified into analysis and design methods (Kirksey, 2010). The two methods are the
mathematical and practical basis. The method to design the swarm robots is termed as design
methods. The analysis methods are for the fulfillment of the robot's specification and
requirements. The design is on the basis of automatic and behavior design methods. A collective
behavior is got from every single robot (Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Robotics in 2016,
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2017). So Each and every robot is iterated till the succeeded of the collective behavior. The
design called nonadaptive is while no changes in a group to finish the task. The adaptive design
is with changes in a group in the new environment (Mikkelsen and Jespersen, 2017).
4. Environmental configuration in V-REP
It is difficult to manage to use a large number of physical robots in the researches of swarm
robotics. So the computer simulation is established (McLemore, Gaver and Jacobs, 2016). Before
the examination of real physical robotics, it visually examines the algorithm and structure on the
computer. The computer simulation is usually convenient, fast and less expensive and easy to set
up. It is utilized to perform to investigate the real robots. The widely utilized simulation
platforms are Gazebo, player or stage, ubersim, USARSim, Enki, V-REP, webots, breve,
teambots, and ARGoS (Hauert, Zufferey and Floreano, 2008).
4.1 V-REP simulation platform
The V-REP is the open source three-dimensional robot simulator. It permits to create the
whole robotic system (Cong et al., 2011). It stimulates and interacts with hardware (Kornei,
2016). Each and every object able to separately controlled through the plugin, the custom,
solution, the remote API client, or embedded script. The controllers able to write in Python,
Matlab, C or C++, Java, Urbi or Octave in V-REP. The controller can be attached directly to the
object in the scene. Then run in non-threaded and threaded fashions. It is utilized for the fast
algorithm improvement, fast prototyping & verification, education which is related to robotics,
and safety double-checking. It builds it versatile. It is ideal for the application of multi-robot
(Chiew, Zhao and Go, 2013).
4.1.1 Architecture of V-REP
It possesses several independent functions. The functions can be disabled or enabled as per
the requirements. Visualize the robot which has to pick-up the blocks as well as pass them to
another position. The V-REP assess the dynamics. It is to grasp and hold the blocks and executes
the kinetic simulation.
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The V-REP simulation scene consisting of various elemental objects or scene objects. The scene
objects are gathered in the tree-like hierarchy.
The path permits the movement. The movement is the sequence of the freely combinable
rotations, pauses and translations.
The joints are used to connect the scene objects with 1 to 3 DOF. The joints are the kinetic lower
pairs.
The shapes are utilized for the rigid body imagination. The shapes are the triangular meshes. The
calculation modules and the scene objects depends on the shapes for the evaluation such as
calculation of the minimum distance, collision detection etc.
For the purpose of the scene imagination, lights and cameras are utilized. It has the impacts on
the other scene objects.
The dummies are the reference frame or points with the orientation. It can be able to utilize for
the several tasks. It can be seen as the helpers.
The force sensors are the rigid which are connects in between the shapes. That able to be record
the torques and applied forces.
The graphs are able to record the huge difference of the 1 dimensional data streams. It able to
display directly or three D curves or XY graphs.
A proximity sensor executes the minimum distance calculation.
The rendering sensors are camera-like sensors. It permits to extract the complex image data. The
complex image data is extracted from simulation scene. The rendering sensor are utilized for the
hardware acceleration for an open GL.
The mills are utilized for simulating surface cutting functions. The surface cutting functions are
on the shapes. The function involves laser cutting, milling etc.
The calculation or evaluation modules
The V-REP has the various calculation modules. The modules are directly perform on 1 or the
various scene objects in V-REP.
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